When scientists talk about the cryosphere, they mean the places on Earth where water is in its solid form, frozen into ice or snow. Read more ...

Cryosphere Glossary

glaciers

regenerated glacier

a glacier that is reconstructed or reconstituted out of other glacier material; usually formed by seracs falling from a hanging glacier then re-adhering; also called reconstituted or reconstructed glacier, or glacier remainie.

red algae

reconstructed glacier

a glacier that is reconstructed or reconstituted out of other glacier material; usually formed by seracs falling from a hanging glacier then re-adhering; also called reconstituted glacier, regenerated glacier, or glacier remainie.

radius-dependent metamorphism

push moraine

moraine built out ahead of an advancing glacier.

The Columbia Glacier surged (advanced rapidly) earlier this century, part of it flowing into a forest. The push moraine in this photograph from 1914 shows Columbia Glacier literally pushing up trees and dirt as it advanced. (Photo courtesy of D.K. Handy, archived at the World Data Center for...